The Hudson Reporter has introduced a new magazine to its extensive lineup of Hudson County magazines and newspapers. Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula will debut at the end of April. It joins Jersey City Magazine, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and Hoboken 07030, which premiered in the summer of 2012. The Hudson Reporter also publishes eight local newspapers.

The new Bayonne magazine builds on the successful formula of the weekly Bayonne Community News, according to its publishers.

“For more than three decades the Bayonne Community News has been the newspaper of record for the residents of Bayonne,” said co-publisher Dave Unger. “A weekly institution, it keeps readers in touch with important issues that affect their everyday lives. It’s like the town square where family, friends, and neighbors can come to see their kids in the school play, their neighbors at the church fair, or their grandparents at the senior center.”

The magazine enters the Bayonne market at an auspicious time. “The city is on the cusp of enormous change with thriving new development that epitomizes the new Bayonne,” said co-publisher Lucha Malato.

The publishing industry has been learning to adapt to an economic climate and digital landscape that have drastically changed in the last two decades.

But, says Malato, “local publications—and magazines in particular—seem to be meeting the informational and entertainment needs of readers, which, in turn, serves the business expectations of advertisers and underwriters.”

The mission of Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula, which is partly supported by the Urban Enterprise Zone, is to be a booster of the city of Bayonne, said its publishers.

“We will highlight what is positive, new, fun, or unique,” said Unger. “We will not do investigative reporting. We will not cover politics or endorse particular parties, politicians, or points of view.”

What’s inside

The new magazine, which is slated to come out twice a year, will offer a broad range of features. “These stories will cover people, entities, trends, culture, the arts—anything that readers will find engaging, new, or noteworthy,” Unger said.

The departments, he said, will mirror those in Jersey City Magazine and Hoboken 07030. They include “Working Out With,” “Hanging Out With,” “On the Waterfront,” “Archives and Artifacts,” “Senior Moments,” “New in Town,” “How We Live,” “How We Work,” “Emerging Bayonne,” “Vanishing Bayonne,” “Niche,” “Watering Holes,” “Eateries,” “People Power,” “Sports Corner,” “Education,” “Helping Hands,” “Point and Shoot,” and “Arts Listing.”

Said Unger: “Obviously, we would not run all these departments in every issue, but they reflect the diversity of interests of Bayonne readers.”

Life on the Peninsula

In the end, said the publishers, it’s Bayonne itself that will make for a successful magazine. “Bayonne is one of Hudson County’s most distinctive towns,” said Unger. “Located at the southern tip of Hudson County, it has a robust maritime tradition that encompasses a huge shipping industry. This makes for a vibrant, working waterfront and for an endless supply of interesting stories, unique to Bayonne.”

Added Malato: “Bayonne also has a rich civic culture all its own. The magazine will have the same community appeal as the Bayonne Community News. People love to see themselves in their hometown publications.”

Said Unger: This sends a strong message to advertisers. It is these people who will support the commercial interests of their friends and neighbors, who represent a broad range of businesses and enterprises.”

The bottom line?

“Bayonne can support a glossy lifestyle magazine with writing and photography that will show the city to its best advantage,” said Malato—“the beauty of its parks and waterfronts, the vibrancy of its businesses, and the talents of its citizens.”